Portal:Saudi Arabia

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The Saudi Arabia Portal – بوابة المملكة العربية السعودية

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Flag of Saudi Arabia	Emblem of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia's Location

Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it is one of the countries situated in the Gulf region. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about 2,150,000 km² (830,000 sq mi), making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the largest in the Middle East, and the 12th-largest in the world. It is bordered by the Red Sea to the west; Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait to the north; the Persian Gulf, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to the east; Oman to the southeast; and Yemen to the south. The Gulf of Aqaba in the northwest separates Saudi Arabia from Egypt and Israel. Saudi Arabia is the only country with a coastline along both the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, and most of its terrain consists of arid desert, lowland, steppe, and mountains. The capital and largest city is Riyadh; other major cities include Jeddah and the two holiest cities in Islam, Mecca and Medina. With a population of almost 32.2 million, Saudi Arabia is the fourth most populous country in the Arab world. (Full article...)

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Bilateral relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States began in 1933 when full diplomatic relations were established. These relations were formalized under the 1951 Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement. Despite the differences between the two countries—an Islamic absolute monarchy versus a secular constitutional republic—the two countries have been allies ever since. The U.S. provides military protection to the Kingdom in exchange for a reliable oil supply, pricing of oil in U.S. dollars, and support for American foreign policy.

Ever since the modern relationship began in 1945, the U.S. has been willing to overlook some of the kingdom's domestic and foreign policy aspects as long as it maintained oil production and supported American national security policies. These aspects include Wahhabism, its human rights record, and alleged state-sponsored terrorism. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, the alliance deepened, as both countries jointly supported Afghan resistance militias during the 1980s. The Gulf War (1990–1991) marked a high point in the relationship when both countries and the UK jointly led an international military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. While the two countries continue to enjoy strong ties, critical disagreements have emerged over the years. Examples include Israel, the 1973 oil embargo, the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the "War on Terror", and Saudi influence after the September 11 attacks. In recent years, particularly since the Barack Obama administration, the relationship has become strained and witnessed a major decline. (Full article...)

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Did you know (auto-generated)

... that the documentary film Jihad Rehab features interviews with former inmates from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp who are now in the Care Rehabilitation Center, a "jihad rehab" in Saudi Arabia?
... that due to U.S. support for Saudi-led operations in Yemen, both Saudi Arabia and the United States may be held responsible for war crimes?
... that the 2021 film West Side Story was banned in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain, likely due to the transgender character Anybodys?
... that The Twins, a 1930 story by Abd al-Quddus al-Ansari, was called the first Saudi Arabian novel?
... that Saudi Arabian broadcaster beoutQ pirated and resold beIN Sports programmes during the Qatar diplomatic crisis?
... that Saudi Arabian poet Hamad al-Hajji lost three members of his family during his childhood and later suffered from schizophrenia until he died at the age of 49 after a lung disease?

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News

19 October 2024 –: Protesters storm and damage the office of the Saudi-owned MBC TV channel in Baghdad, Iraq, after the channel aired a programme which called Hamas and Hezbollah leaders "terrorists". The Iraq Communications and Media Commission later suspends MBC's operations in Iraq in response to the incident. (New Arab) (Roya News)

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Related portals

Religions in Saudi Arabia

Arab states

Other countries

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WikiProjects

WikiProject Saudi Arabia

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Things you can do

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This is a Good article, an article that meets a core set of high editorial standards.

The 2018 Ad Diriyah ePrix (formally the 2018 SAUDIA Ad Diriyah E-Prix) was a Formula E electric car race held at the Riyadh Street Circuit in the town of Diriyah, which is located north-west of the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh, on 15 December 2018 before a crowd of about 23,000 spectators. It was the first round of the 2018–19 Formula E Championship, the inaugural Ad Diriyah ePrix and the first Middle Eastern Formula E race.António Félix da Costa of the Andretti team won the 33-lap race from pole position. Techeetah driver Jean-Éric Vergne finished second and Jérôme d'Ambrosio took third for Mahindra.

The one day event was affected by heavy rain which flooded the track; as a result, the two scheduled practice sessions were cancelled and combined into a single 35 minute session. Qualifying was restructured into a half an hour two-group session that saw Félix da Costa claim the first pole position of his career. He held the lead for the opening 13 laps until Vergne passed him on the 14th lap. As Vergne appeared set to take his first victory of the season, he incurred a drive-through penalty for exceeding the maximum amount of power permitted under electrical energy harvesting. He took the penalty in the pit lane and fell to fifth. Vergne recovered through the field but he could not make a successful pass on the final lap on Félix da Costa who took the second win of his career and BMW's first as a Formula E manufacturer. (Full article...)

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Muhammad Foreign workers in Saudi Arabia Black Stone Jeddah Tower Legal system of Saudi Arabia Siege of Mecca (692) Demolition of al-Baqi Women's football in Saudi Arabia Faisal of Saudi Arabia Hajj Al-Masjid an-Nabawi Manal al-Sharif Siege of Mecca (683) Wojdan Shaherkani McMahon–Hussein Correspondence Alid revolt of 762–763 Abu Sa'id al-Jannabi Battle of the Trench

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Image 1A view of Jabal Sawda, a peak located in Saudi Arabia, with an elevation of around 3,000 metres (9,843 ft).^[1]
Image 2Sunset view from Farasan Island, the largest island of the Farasan Islands, in the Red Sea. It is located some 50 km offshore from Jizan, the far southwestern part of Saudi Arabia.
Image 3Nasseef House is a historical structure in Al-Balad, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. As of 2009 it is a museum and cultural center which has special exhibits and lectures given by historians.

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More did you know

...that land under cultivation has grown from under 400,000 acres (1600 km²) in 1976 to more than eight million acres (32,000 km²) in 1993 due to better irrigation in Saudi Arabia?

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Topics

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General images

The following are images from various Saudi Arabia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Serenata, a Filipino children's choir in Jeddah (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 2Saudi males dressed and prepared for ardah, the national dance. It also includes swords, poetry, and singing. (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 3Territorial evolution of the Third Saudi State (1902–1934) (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 4Sections of Saudi Arabia and neighbouring countries formed a part of the Roman Empire. (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 5Wedding in Saudi Arabia (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 6The first Saudi State 1727–1818 (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 7Pakistani workers at Al Masjid Nabawi (the Prophet's Mosque) in Medina (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 8Bisht Being Sewn in Al-Ahsa (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 9A family fishing in Jeddah (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 10The Mosque of the Prophet in Medina containing the tomb of Muhammad (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 11The surviving insurgents of the seizure of the Grand Mosque, 1979 under custody of Saudi authorities, c. 1980. (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 12Abdulaziz (left) and Farouk checking an Egyptian Army unit in 1946. Other people picture include princes Fahd, Abdullah, and Mishaal, as well as prince Muhammad Abdel Moneim. (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 13Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt (1789–1848) (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 14Abdulaziz Al Saud, founder of Saudi Arabia (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 15Red and white keffiyeh commonly worn in the desert held with a black agal (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 16The tribes of Arabia at the time of the spread of Islam (expandable map) (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 17Wall painted with Al-Qatt Al-Asiri (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 18King Abdullah practicing falconry, a traditional pursuit in Saudi Arabia (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 19Supplicating pilgrim at Masjid Al Haram, Mecca (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 20Dammam No. 7, the oil well where commercial volumes of oil were first discovered in Saudi Arabia on March 4, 1938. (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 21Residential homes in Yanbu (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 22Saudi football fans cheering for their national football team at the FIFA World Cup (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 23Abdulaziz (left) and Roosevelt aboard USS Quincy during their historic 1945 meeting (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 24VOX Cinemas movie theater (center) at Riyadh Front in 2023 (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)
Image 25Soldiers in the Arab Army during the Arab Revolt of 1916–1918, carrying the Flag of the Arab Revolt and pictured in the Arabian Desert. (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 26Faisal (left) and Nasser in Cairo, 1969 (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 27The Rashidun Caliphate reached its greatest extent under Caliph Uthman, c. 654 (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 28The Arabian Peninsula in 1914 (from History of Saudi Arabia)
Image 29Saudi woman wearing a niqāb in Riyadh. Many women commonly wear a niqab or a burqa in Saudi Arabia. (from Culture of Saudi Arabia)